Roma pulled off a sensational second-leg comeback to beat Barcelona 3-0 and reach the Champions League semi-finals on away goals.

Barca were heavy favourites to progress after a 4-1 first-leg win, but fell apart to Roma's brilliant showing.

Defender Kostas Manolas scored the crucial third goal, heading in at the near post with seven minutes remaining.

Edin Dzeko struck early to give Roma hope and Daniele de Rossi added a second-half penalty.

The crowd at the Stadio Olimpico erupted at the final whistle as the Roma substitutes and coaching staff piled on to the pitch to celebrate with the players.

There were tears in the stands from those watching, not quite believing what they had witnessed.

Roma deserve superb win

Roma became only the third team in Champions League history to overturn a first-leg defeat of three goals or more - Deportivo La Coruna against AC Milan in 2003 and Barcelona against Paris St-Germain last season.

On this occasion, runaway Spanish league leaders Barcelona were on the receiving end of an unthinkable result.

They were looking at a treble of trophies, having equalled the La Liga record of 38 unbeaten games at the weekend and reaching the Copa del Rey final.

But they had no answer to Roma's high-tempo, energetic performance which brought a richly deserved victory.

Ex-Manchester City striker Dzeko, whose former team were knocked out by Liverpool in Tuesday's other quarter-final, set Roma on their way by poking in from close range.

The Bosnia striker also had a header tipped over and Czech forward Patrik Schick nodded wide from a promising position.

Roma, fourth in Serie A, kept up the pressure in the second period and were awarded a penalty just before the hour mark when Gerard Pique bundled Dzeko over in the box and De Rossi despatched the spot-kick.

With time running out, Cengiz Under whipped in a cross towards the front post which Greece defender Manolas rose highest to meet and covert to spark jubilant scenes.

Barcelona needed to make a statement this season after losing out to Real Madrid in La Liga and the Champions League last campaign - and they've done exactly that.

With nine games remaining of 2017/18, the Blaugrana are 11 points clear at the top of La Liga, unbeaten and 15 points ahead of their rivals.

Ernesto Valverde's side are also through to the Champions League quarter-finals after cruising past Chelsea and face Sevilla in the Copa del Rey final next month.

Real, meanwhile, have struggled in La Liga, losing five of their 29 games thus far and putting up a poor defence of their title.

A third-successive Champions League triumph could yet be on the horizon, but nothing is guaranteed at this early stage.

Bragging rights belong to Barca at the moment, then, and according to Gerard Pique, he hasn't let Real's Spanish players forget who's top of the table.

In an interview with The Players' Tribune, the Spaniard revealed "inside information" about the WhatsApp group he has with the likes of Sergio Ramos, Isco and Dani Carvajal.

PIQUE: WE TALK S*** TO ONE ANOTHER

And the contents of the conversation is as you would expect: Pique taking the p*** out of his international teammates about how dominant Barcelona have been this season.

"I'm going to let you in on a little inside information," said Pique. "Everybody knows that footballers have text groups on WhatsApp.

"I have one just for my friends from home, and I have another just for my Barca teammates. But my favourite one might surprise you.

"Earlier this season, when we were already eight or nine points clear of Real Madrid in the league, I started a special group for some of the guys on the Spanish national team who play for Real Madrid and Barcelona.

"All we do in that group is talk s*** to one another about Barca and Real. It's the best. We're just like little kids.

"And the truth is, it's especially hilarious for me right now, because now we're up 15 points on Real in the league. So I'm getting very creative in my responses.

"Last season, when the Real guys were winning everything, they were feeling pretty good. They were talking s*** constantly whenever I saw them at national team training.

"Man, every time they won a match last season, they were posting shirtless photos on Instagram from the locker room. Remember that?

"They were smiling and flexing their muscles like The Rock and saying #HalaMadrid and posting little trophy emojis.

"This season, though, it's a different vibe. All their Instagram photos are looking very somber. 'Three points today. We must keep working harder!'

Liverpool have agreed a £142m deal with Barcelona for midfielder Philippe Coutinho in what will be one of the most expensive transfers of all time.

The Reds are expected to receive £105m up front - a British record - for the 25-year-old Brazil international, with the rest in realistic add-ons.

The final deal will be eclipsed only by the £200m Paris St-Germain paid Barcelona for Neymar last summer, and the £165.7m Kylian Mbappe will cost PSG at the end of his initial loan spell from Monaco.

Coutinho joined Liverpool from Inter Milan for £8.5m in January 2013.

He stayed behind on Merseyside while final negotiations were concluded as his Liverpool team-mates flew to Dubai for a mid-season break.

The formalities of the deal are now expected to be concluded in Spain within the next 24 hours as Coutinho finally secures the switch he has craved since the Spanish giants made their first move for him in the summer.